I'm not a professional chef....I just like to play one in the kitchen

For someone who loves to cook, I don’t often follow recipes exactly. I mean I use them all the time, but I tend to have a rather loose manner with them, altering them to my tastes or using my own experiences with a dish. Except of course with baking. Baking is a science and experimenting with it can have disastrous results. But in cooking I feel a bit more confident, and use recipes more to educate myself on a technique, or flavor ideas. There are exceptions to this rule of course, and one of them is trying to cook a specific dish from “Mastering The Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child. You don’t mess with Julia’s way of doing things….

True words Mrs. Child. Wether you have been educated in the finest culinary schools in the world, or just cook daily at home, you must practice in order to be good, and that means you must COOK. Some people say they “can’t cook” and you may be thinking “that’s me” or “yeah Aunt Mary can’t boil water…”. This could be true. I could cook everyday and go to culinary school and never be an incredible chef like some I know. I do believe that people are born with a predisposition towards culinary greatness. It’s the same for anything. A famous athlete. A rocket scientist. A surgeon. Most people who are truly great at what they do, were blessed with a talent for it….